With the COVID-19 shutdowns and for many of us, more time to practice our musical instruments, it’s important to avoid mental burnout and physical injury by keeping our expectations in check. I’ve had some students, excited to see the progress they ...

We’re all wondering how life will adjust to the current global crisis surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. Seven cases were reported in my county over the last few days. Until then, people didn’t seem particularly concerned locally. The stores ...

When it comes time to buy an instrument, especially when stepping up to a higher quality violin or viola, students often ask if I can recommend any particular brands. Unfortunately, that’s a tough question to answer and one that seems to assume that ...

I’ve written a number of posts over the years discussing effective ways to practice and ideas for helping create better practice habits or reinvigorate a practice routine. With my students, I prefer to focus on the quality of practice over stressing ...

Periods of overwhelm are common at any stage of learning to play the violin, viola, cello, fiddle, or any instrument for that matter. The technical aspects of any instrument, but especially violin family instruments, can be unforgiving, yet we all ...